Letter-box



(No Model.)

F. OATUDAL & E. DROLET.

LETTER BOX.

NQ. 445,497. Patented Jan. 27,1 91.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR:

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FRANCIS CATUDAL AND ELZEAR DROLET, OF CLYDE, KANSAS.

LETTER-BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 445,497, dated January 27, 1891.

Application filed August 5, 1890. Serial No. 361,101. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, FRANCIS GATUDAL and ELZEAR DROLET, both of Clyde, in the county of Cloud and State of Kansas, have invented a new and Improved Letter-Box, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

Our invention relates to boxes to be used by merchants, tradesmen, and others for receiving mail or other matter from letter-carriers or messengers, and has for its object to provide a simple, inexpensive, and efficient letter or mail box adapted for most convenient operation by parties delivering and receiving the mail or other matter and holding said matter safely until removed by authorized persons.

The invention will first be described, and then will be particularly pointed out in claims hereinafter set forth.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of our improved letter-box, shown closed in full lines and open in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a central vertical sectional view of the letter-box. Fig. 3 is a front View of the box, partly broken away at its top; and Fig. 4 is a detail front sectional view of one end of the box with the drop-lid open. 7

The letter-box is made with a main body portion A, which forms the receptacle for letters, papers, or other matter, and is provided at one side, preferably the front, with a hinged door B, fitted to an opening Z) of the box. The box is preferably made lower at its front than at the back, and is provided with a drop-lid G, which is hung at its rear edge by hinges o c to the narrow fixed top cross-piece a of the box, and when closed takes a sloping position.

The door B has a suitable key Z) for lock ing it and a knob b to open it by, and will preferably bear the tablet or title Letterbox, as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

To the inner face of the box-front and immediately at and below the top opening of the box, which the drop-lid O closes, is preferably fixed a cross-piece a, which slopes downward and rearward, and to the lower edge otally by metal links F F with the drop-lid C,

and preferably by the use of strengthening cleats or flanges c, which are fixed across the ends and under side of the lid, and to which cleats the links are pivoted at their upper ends.

To one side wall of the box is suitably jourialed a cam-lever G, the eccentric head portion 9 of which lies underneath the overhanging end of the drop-lid 0 of the box. A stoppin or screw g on the box limits the backward movement of the long arm or handle end of the cam-lever, and a suitable frictionspring, preferably a bow-plate spring H, fastened at the ends to the side wall of the box; is adapted to hold the cam-lever at the position it takes when or after it has opened the drop-lid O of the box. Corner-stops I I at the upper rear part of the box limit the upward movement of the tray D, and consequently of the drop-lid also, to which the tray is linked, as above described.

At the rear lower part of the box is secured a concaved chute or plate J, which guides or throws all letters, papers, or other matter dropped into the box toward the front door B thereof to allow more easy and certain collection of the contents of the box. The droplid 0 will preferably be provided with a plate or tablet K, bearing the name of the owner of the box, and may also have another plate or tablet L, bearing a number, as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

The operation of our improved letter-box is very simple and effective. To drop mail or other matter into the box it is only necessary to turn or swing the lever G forward and its cam-head y will lift the drop-lid O and open it on its hinges c, and when the mail-matter is passed into the box it will rest on the tray D, which had been raised by the links F as the lid was opened, and as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 2 of the drawings. As the lever G is swung rearward again or to the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the lever cam-head will allow the lid to close, and as the lid closes the tray D will also fall on its hinges d to the position shown in full lines in Fig. 2 of the drawings and will drop the mail or other matter into the body of the box, and the interior chuteplate J will project the matter toward the door B to allow-its easy recovery or removal when the door is opened. The cam-lever G may be swung forward to its full extent or until it is over the bow-spring H, at which time the lid 0 will be fully opened and will be held open by the lever and spring, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1 of the drawings, to allow a mail-agent to drop mail into the box one piece at a time as he sorts it, thus requiring him to handle the lever but once -to open the drop-lid and once more to close the lid, which promotes convenient use of the box.

This letter or mail box may be made either of wood or metal, or of both combined, in any approved manner, and while it may be comparatively small in outside dimensions its mail-holding capacity is considerable, and it is quite inexpensive, and may be secured by screws or bolts to a wall, post, or other suitble support.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A letter or mail box made with a drop-lid opening outwardly, an interior tray opening downwardly, links connecting the lid and tray, and a cam-lever adapted for action on the lid to open it, substantially as described.

2. A letter or mailbox made with a drop-lid opening outwardly, an interior tray opening downwardly, links connecting the lid and tray, a cam-lever adapted for action on the lid to open it, and a detent for the cam-lever, adapted to hold the lid open temporarily, substantially as described.

3. The combination, in a letter or mailbox, of a main body portion A, having a front door B, a hinged drop-lid 0, an interior hinged tray D, links F, connecting the lid and tray, and a cam-lever G, fulcrumed to the box and having an eccentric head g acting on the droplid, substantially as described.

4. The combination, in a letter or mail box, of a main body portion A, having a front door 13, a hinged drop-lid C, an interior hinged tray D, links F, connecting the lid and tray,-a camlever G, fulerumed to the box and having an eccentric head 9 acting on the drop-lid, and a bow-spring H on the box for temporarily retaining the cam-lever for holding the droplid open, substantially as described.

FRANCIS OATUDAL. ELZEAR DROLET.

Witnesses:

GEO. W. BUBNES, G. W. FOSTER. 

